Super Rugby wrap: Dominant Crusaders too strong for Lions
Friday 26 April 2019 17:01, UK
Crusaders eased to a 36-10 victory over the Lions in a repeat of last season's Super Rugby final while the Highlanders thrashed Sunwolves.
Crusaders 36-10 Lions
Winger George Bridge returned from injury to score two tries within two minutes as the Crusaders clinched a home victory over the Lions in Super Rugby on Friday.
Live Super Rugby
Bridge scored 15 tries in Super Rugby last season but has played only four matches this year because of a knee injury. His form on Friday thrust him immediately into selection consideration for the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup squad.
Winger Sevu Reece also scored two tries and Braydon Ennor added another in a match which left little doubt the nine-time champions Crusaders are again the team to beat in Super Rugby.
Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock said: "The Lions challenged us a few times tonight. They got down in the corner, put pressure on us at the scrum and got some momentum. That's something we knew they were going to do but stopping that is really hard."
The Crusaders needed only five minutes to score the opening try. Reece ran off the right wing and made a slick break in midfield. He shrugged off a tackle and passed to Ennor, who had an unobstructed run to the line.
The Lions tested the offside line throughout the match and from the second such infringement Lionel Mapoe was penalised and fly-half Richie Mo'unga kicked a penalty which gave the Crusaders a 10-0 lead after nine minutes before Elton Jantjes replied with three points.
The Crusaders began to take control in the last 10 minutes of the first half. The hosts moved the ball wide to Reece who showed immense power, bumping off Lions captain Kwagga Smith, then forcing his way through three more tackles to score out wide.
Early in the second half, Crusaders pressure led to an attacking lineout and hooker Codie Taylor ran around the line to take the ball and hand an infield pass to Bridge, who scored. He crossed the line again within a minute when Ennor burst into space before turning the ball infield for Bridge to score.
Lions full-back Ryan Combrinck intercepted a pass from Mo'unga to score a try, but Reece brilliantly chased down his own infield kick to score again in the 57th minute to round off the win.
Sunwolves 0-52 Highlanders
Tevita Li scored two tries as he capitalised on the dominance of a Highlanders pack led by a rampaging Jackson Hemopo to help the visitors to a commanding victory over the Sunwolves in Tokyo on Friday.
The visiting team's forwards obliterated the Sunwolves' scrum at will, even after they had replaced their entire front row, and dominated the contact area to force errors, moving back into play-off contention in fifth place overall on 23 points.
The Highlanders scored five tries in the first half from Tom Franklin, Tyrel Lomax, Li, Josh Ioane and Liam Coltman to give them a 33-0 lead at the break.
Li grabbed his second try 10 minutes into the second half before Rob Thompson and Sio Tomkinson also crossed, while the home side were unlucky to have a Semisi Masirewa try ruled out for a forward pass.
